All about kitchen knives

For the preparation of products and dishes from them created a huge amount of very different equipment. But even the most sophisticated tools are unable to replace conventional kitchen knives. Because this type of cooking accessories need to pay close attention.

In itself, the phrase "kitchen knives" exhaustively reveals their intended purpose - they are tools for cutting and separating food. But sometimes they are used:

• for cleaning of various fruits from a peel;
• to remove the pulp from vegetables and fruits;
• to remove damaged and bad parts of various products;
• for giving to preparations of a certain form.

In most cases, the kitchen used universal knives. But professionals and advanced amateurs often prefer sets of specialized products. Knives are divided into a number of parts, each of which received its name. It is customary to single out:

• tip;
• blade;
• neck;
• emphasis;
• shank;
• lining;
• the backdrop;
• rivets.

For the manufacture of kitchen knives can use a variety of materials. Along with stainless steel, they use steel containing various amounts of carbon. Also known are constructions based on titanium, ceramics, and even plastics. The blades themselves are made by forging or stamping.

More than 30 varieties of kitchen cutting tools are known. In an ordinary house, of course, they use much fewer knives. To prepare 90% of dishes at the disposal of the chef should be only:

• little;
• wide;
• large (long) knives.

Perfect classic kitchen knife are European products. This design has a perfect balance. The official name of this format is French Chef. For the manufacture of handles used wood. Fixing the handle is made on 3 rivets.

European kitchen classics equipped with a triangular blade with double-sided sharpening. Bottom blade prominently forward. The main structural material is stainless steel. The blade near the tip is significantly narrowed.

The blade rests on the tip, and as needed is raised and lowered in the hand. A simple cook knife can be called almost universal: It performs well when cutting fruit, meat and vegetables. Important: this device is not designed for an elegant cutting of bread. The blade in the cook's knife is close in shape to the triangle. The blade is 18-30 cm in length with a metal thickness of not more than 5 mm.

The main part of the structures is no thicker than 2-3 mm. Such products are produced by a variety of companies, because the choice is simply huge. The cost of a standard cook knife is relatively small. But it is quite heavy and not very suitable for long work.

In the current classification appears and universal knife. Its oblong blade is pulled forward, and the blade length reaches an average of 15 cm. The light and relatively compact design makes such a thing popular. Main applications:

• cleaning fruits and vegetables;
• shredder of the same plant products;
• cutting fine food.

For size reduction and relief, one has to pay the loss of the opportunity to chop up and cut frozen meat. Another important type of kitchen knife is a device for cleaning vegetables and hard fruits. The blade length reaches no more than 7-8 m. For the manufacture of handles used wood or polymers. Some options have a rounded profile that allows for easier peeling.

Another "vegetable" subtype has a pointed, somewhat understated tip. This solution greatly helps to take out the core of the fruit and get rid of wormholes. The problem is that due to the modest size of the blade, it is not able to perform any other work. As for the loin knives, they have a long and rather thin blade (10-34 cm). Products with a blade up to 15 cm are used when you need to process fish, poultry or cold cuts.

Longer options help cut the fillets. Hone the fillet type at an angle of 15 degrees, and the tip of the tip is raised. Such innovations to the limit facilitate the filing of meat and fish raw materials. An important requirement when creating a fillet knife is the flexibility of its material. Too hard metal elements are simply not able to work on bending.

Bread knives are equipped with toothed blades. It reaches a length of 20-25 cm, and the width of the entire blade is strictly the same. At the end there is a characteristic rounding. The material must be very hard, because flexibility is not very important. A characteristic feature of the bread knife is serreitor sharpening, able to cut through a solid crust and not crush the crumb.

The same design perfectly helps to cut large fruits and vegetables. In the practice of experienced chefs, boning knives are also a frequent help. Their main task is to conveniently separate the meat from the bones. The blade has an average length (not more than 16 cm) with a slightly curved profile.

In addition to deboning, such a knife will help cut and chop small products. To work in hard-to-reach areas, shortened versions with a pointed triangular blade are used. Cutting knives are gaining more and more popularity. They are needed not only for butchering but also for chopping off small bones and cartilage. Some cooks use a cutting knife at the initial stage of boning.

If not limited to European types of knives, then You can pay attention to Japanese products. Quite a few cooks use only such products. For their manufacture mainly used steel with a high carbon content. To achieve the highest hardness, Rockwell quenching is used. The cutting properties of the Japanese models are as great as possible; they can be recognized externally by a butt that goes down to the edge.

This solution allows you to even out the work surface. But a high carbon content lowers fluidity. And because the blade is extremely bad sharpened. Grinding water bars of a special sample come to the rescue. Most often, sharpening is done on a one-way scheme.

The term “santoku” in the Asian industry means the same as the multifunctional cook knife in the European system. The high popularity of such a product led to its inclusion in the product range of all major manufacturers. The blade is very long (16-20 cm), its width varies from 4 to 5 cm. Such characteristics allow the use of Santoku instead of the scapula for cut products. Another Japanese knife, Deby, is designed to cut and process fish, poultry and meat, however, it does not do well with cutting large bones.

Upgraded subspecies (i-deb) have blades of 13.5-27 cm. In Japan itself, deba is done with one-sided sharpening, but models shipped to other countries are sharpened on both sides.As for products from damask steel, these are not just beautiful and reliable knives. Behind them are centuries-old traditions.

The production technology of this Bulat is extremely difficult and exclusive. In the past, it took several years to get a single blade. The reconstruction of the formulation required many decades and took away the strengths of dozens of the most experienced metallurgists. But a folding kitchen knife, in contrast to the damask, is nothing more than a curiosity. Such products can still be acceptable in hiking or on a business trip, but for serious home cooking, especially for high-class cuisine, they are ineffective.

All-metal knives play an important role in hiking life, hunting and fishing, in locksmithing, carpentry work, in car repair and construction. The point is not that they are much sharper than usual, but simply in increased reliability. The metal handle breaks much less often than plastic or made of wood. This circumstance is especially valuable in an extreme situation. Knife-type saw, which ends the review, suitable mainly for cutting bread.

Just to deal with the basic options of knives is not enough. Making a good choice for a home is much more difficult, even harder to find the right working tool for a professional kitchen. For a standard home set, if there is no experience, the following types should be selected:

• universal;
• chef;
• vegetable;
• bread;
• cleaver;
• fillet knife;
• knives for cutting;
• a grinding stone (of the same manufacturer as the other tools).

Each person should evaluate the tool in the work purely from his point of view. What is good for one may not be suitable for the rest (and vice versa). Of course, you should not buy very cheap models, especially if they are also wearing a popular brand.

Of great importance is the strength of steel. The inconsistency of markings and price tags or accompanying documents should immediately alert. For your information: it is necessary to check all the joints and joints. Ideal for structural strength are made from solid steel, forged by hand. But they are not found too often and are extremely expensive.

It is difficult to say for sure whether light or heavy knives should be considered the best. The first cut faster and more accurate, less time consuming to work. The latter deal much better with cutting hard, especially frozen foods. The balance of the design should be optimal, we should not allow the advantage of both the handle and the blade. Since ancient times there is a way to check: put your finger on the junction of the blade with the handle and, supporting the knife horizontally, point it with a sharp edge down.

A truly balanced product will remain in perfect balance and will not fall. But such a test must be done very carefully. At the slightest inattention, it can be dangerous.

The next step in the selection is to evaluate the handle. It must be firm enough, because considerable effort is being put on it. Easy washing and thorough attachment is very important. Important: when there is even a small gap at the junction, it can serve as an accumulator for small particles of food. Subsequently, the sanitary characteristics of the knife will deteriorate.

In most cases, the kitchen uses knives with wooden and plastic handle. Products with bone handles can look attractive, but gradually the bone loses its strength. There have been cases when the old bone plate crumbled directly in the hand, causing injury.It is impossible to purchase models with insufficiently dense and very soft wood. Durability is a paramount property of a solid handle.

As for the blades of ceramics, then, according to many experts, this is perhaps the best option. The ceramic tip can be sharpened as well as a scalpel. Later it will not become less acute and will not rust. However, brittleness and too high a tendency to break apart make it very difficult to operate. In addition, decent quality ceramics are expensive.

Normally, the cutting surface of the blade runs along its entire length, from one end to the other. Extremely important: gear modifications are not suitable for cutting meat and vegetables. The notches will constantly slide off, not cut through the material. Sharpening is ineffective. It is definitely worth to abandon products that are positioned as “incredibly universal” - all such constructions are not very perfect and very unreliable.

Spending money is necessary not so much for the brand as for the real quality. Brand awareness is not too important. Buying a knife in the first store is unreasonable. It is necessary to compare offers from different suppliers in order to identify the best option among them. It is better to focus on direct sales from manufacturers, and not to dealers.

Soft alloys are easier to mint and sharpen. But you have to carefully care for the product. In addition, despite the hygiene of soft alloys, there is a serious drawback - a violation of the taste of products. According to professionals, carbon steel is better than stainless alloys.

A compromise solution between the contradictory properties of a soft and hard metal in some sense is the lamination technique. A brittle steel containing a lot of carbon is surrounded by a shell of a softer alloy. Such designs are implemented by a large Japanese company Yaxell. As the basis of use of metal strength from 60 to 64 units on the Rockwell scale. The outer damask shell prevents the appearance of rust and increases the strength of the product.

When choosing between knives with a ceramic blade, it is necessary to take into account that the very first models of this kind began to produce the Japanese company Kyosera. Her vast experience deserves respect. White ceramics are less durable than those with a black color. Important: connoisseurs of European cooking should not buy classic Japanese knives. But more convenient in configuration hybrids, preserving the lightness and durability of Asian modifications, are quite good.

Choosing a knife for hard cheese, you need to give preference to the versions in the form of a spatulathat have a slot in the middle. Soft cheeses are best cut with tools that have a thin metal string instead of the usual blade. Universal type of cheese knife is useful to those who wish to just cut the heads for themselves without any frills. It will be very good if the end part is bifurcated - it is easy to impose sliced ​​products on this peculiar plug. There are also highly specialized modifications: scrapers for removing fish scales, pizza knives (with a toothed rotating disc-shaped blade), some other modifications.

There are many companies offering luxury knives. However, the best of them cannot be distinguished. Branded Japanese models are supplied mainly under the brands:

• Kukuichi;
• Hattori;
• Masahiro;
• Global.

The most advanced European brands have placed their production in Germany and France. Less demanding customers may prefer products from Swiss, English and Italian factories. From the Chinese samples deserves attention Rondell Flamberg RD-681. Knives show themselves very well when cutting meat, and in addition are inexpensive.

This knife is suitable for both ordinary people and professionals.The hardness and sharpening of the blade allows for a long time to cut even strong products. The rubberized handle excludes sliding of the tool. Difficulties may be associated with the care of RD-681. In addition, some experts say that rubber handles are unsafe for the environment.

For slicing tomatoes it is recommended to use Fissler 8803013. This is a solid German model, the high quality of which is manifested in every detail. For fine culinary work this is perhaps the best version. The combination of a sharp edge and a good polishing of the rest of the blade helps to make thin pieces of even soft vegetables. The sharpness and strength of the blade are guaranteed for a long time.

An attractive alternative can be considered BergHOFF Leo 3950045. This is an excellent Belgian product, also coping with soft vegetables. The blade was made of pressed steel with a coating to which the cut pieces do not stick.

A lot of positive feedback comes on Apollo knives. The main thing is to choose not the cheapest, but slightly more expensive designs. Consumers appreciate the ergonomics, balance, quality of the metal and the handle, perfect cutting and long-lasting sharpening. Of the relatively cheap versions, Borner knives are highly valued. They have a comfortable grip and have a comfortable size.

The "Asia" family is distinguished for its specific configuration of the handle and thin blades. In most models of this series there are technological holes, which makes them very convenient for cutting soft products. With short-term fine-tuning with musat, razor sharpness is achieved.

Positive ratings give and knives Alessi. These are small, well-cut and comfortably placed in the hand product. Periodic sharpening is required only when used on glass boards. The solid metal handle can be easily washed and cleaned.

From Japanese knives, Keiko Santoku from Nadoba enjoys great popularity. The knife is made in the traditional national style. The plastic handle without problems lays down in a hand and does not slide off. Each copy is sold in a separate plastic case. Marking covers contains information about the material and the manufacturer.

Santoku has an extraordinary sharpness. The through holes of the web exclude sticking of the cut food to the web. But this product is not suitable for those who appreciate heavy knives. The method of execution of the tool (the insertion of the blade into the handle without the guard) is not reliable enough. Over time, the joints may loosen.

In the expensive price group, along with Wusthof, there is at least one other brand - Zwilling J. A. Henckels. If we talk about products of moderate cost, then there are Victorinox, Arcos. And in the budget category you should pay attention to the products of Tramontina, Opinel. If you are not limited to knives for chefs, then you can look at the products Tupperware. Other best brands for inexperienced chefs are Shun, F. Dick.

Fans of domestic products should pay attention to products from Gennady Prokopenkov. They are made by the master himself with full diligence, with full knowledge of the matter. To buy such a thing is quite difficult, and its cost is great. Products made by Prokopenkov are rightly controlled by musat.

See how and which kitchen knife to choose, see the video below.